Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Relating to or having the characteristics of an eagle.
  • adjective Curved or hooked like an eagle's beak.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of or pertaining to the eagle.
  • Resembling an eagle; having the characteristics of an eagle; especially, resembling an eagle's beak; curving; hooked; prominent.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Belonging to or like an eagle.
  • adjective Curving; hooked; prominent, like the beak of an eagle; -- applied particularly to the nose.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective of, pertaining to, or characteristic of eagles.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective curved down like an eagle's beak

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin aquilīnus, from aquila, eagle.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin aquilīnus, from aquila ("eagle")

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Examples

  • Thus an ornithologist might describe a colleague as having an aquiline nose, but would not use the word aquiline in reference to a bird of the eagle group.

    VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol IV No 3 1977

  • "Back to something we were discussing earlier -- I often think about how my kind of nose is written about as 'Hebrew' but Chris, whose nose is almost identical, well, hers is 'aquiline' --"

    GINNY BATES: BACK TO HOW IT ALL BEGAN Maggie Jochild 2007

  • The profile that passed the window was of the sort called aquiline, after the beak of the eagle; but he rather suggested a grey and venerable eagle; an eagle in repose; an eagle that has long folded its wings.

    The Complete Father Brown 2003

  • The profile that passed the window was of the sort called aquiline, after the beak of the eagle; but he rather suggested a grey and venerable eagle; an eagle in repose; an eagle that has long folded its wings.

    The Complete Father Brown 2003

  • I was drawn to the figures done in folk-style — rather than those with a Caucasian look, such as aquiline noses.

    A Filipino Chef's Wooden Pursuits Margot Cohen 2010

  • I was drawn to the figures done in folk-style — rather than those with a Caucasian look, such as aquiline noses.

    A Filipino Chef's Wooden Pursuits Margot Cohen 2010

  • While sipping this delicious coffee, her conversation intentionally allowed her to spread the confidence of her beautiful thin, high cheekbone face with an aquiline nose and skin with a softness and color of milk.

    Page 2 2009

  • While sipping this delicious coffee, her conversation intentionally allowed her to spread the confidence of her beautiful thin, high cheekbone face with an aquiline nose and skin with a softness and color of milk.

    Page 2 2009

  • While sipping this delicious coffee, her conversation intentionally allowed her to spread the confidence of her beautiful thin, high cheekbone face with an aquiline nose and skin with a softness and color of milk.

    Page 2 2009

  • Okay, so I think you describe her as having a long aquiline face, but I imagined her like this despite that.

    Stick 'Em With the Pointy End grrm 2010

Comments

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  • Watson was always using this word when he was talking about Holmes's nose.

    February 6, 2012